The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-02-11
DEER LoDGE, MONTANA, FEBRUARY Il, 1857
soyHooo or HOBART pAstla-

An Unpleasant Experience on Shipbeaai.
|S1s93hGI Climbing to the Masthead. IS
As Inidsliipman his start in life wss
rough one, with very unpleasant cousin sor
captain.
Il shall never forget ais first words. He
was a handsome young fellow with fine tea-s
lures, darksned. however, by deep scuwL
As hestepped over the side he greeted Us by
saying tothe first lieutenant In loud voice:
Put all my boats crew In irons for neglect
of duty It seems that one of them Lept
him waiting for a couple of minutes when he
came down to embark. After giving this or
der the captain honored the officers who re-
ceived him with naughty bow, read aloud
his commission and retired TO his cabin. hnv-
I ing ordered the anchor to be weighed in two
hours 4, s4gfses asf fEss{s ss4 qrsss.s 5ftst,a
.Accordingly. at o'clock we stood e,as ta
sea, the weather being fine and wind fasor-
able AT II all hands were called to attend
z the punishment OF the captains boats crew.
cannot describe the horror with which
witnessed six fine sailor-like looking fellows
torn by the frightful cat for having kept
their officer waiting few minutes on the
pier.
"But the boys own turn came next. For
getting in the way, or crying Che was not 13),
or in some way vexing the tyrant' he was
at once mastheaded
"Go to the masthead indeed! with fresh
ening wind, under whose influence the ship
was beginning to keel over, and an increasing
sea that made her jump about like an acrobat.
| had not got my sea legs and this feat
seemed an utter impossibility to me- looked
with horror up aloft, then came over me the
remembrance of Marryat's story of the lad
who refused to 60 to the masthead, and who
was hoisted up by the signal halyards. While
thinking Of this another We'll, sir why don't
you obey ordersP started me into the lower
rigging. which I began with the greatest
difficulty to climb, expecting at every step to
go headlong overheard A good natured
sailor, seeing the fix was in, gave me g help
ing hand, and up I crawled as far as the
maintop. This, must explain to INV nom
nautical reader, is not the masthead. but a
comparatively comfortable half way resting
place, from whence one can look about feel
ing somewhat secure. On looking down to
the deck my heart bled to see the Door sailor
who had helped me undergoing punishment
for his kind act. heard myself at the same
time ordered to go higher and little higher
l did go. Then stopped, frightened to
death, and almost senseless; terror, however,
seemed to give me presence Of mind to cling
ON, and there remained till some hours af-
terward; then was called down. On reach
ing the deck tainted, and knew no more
till l asgoke after some time in my hammock
For three years he suffered, but with SO
little harm to his spirit, that on coming home
and being offered lift to London from
Portsmouth in his Cousins carriage, he tells
us:
"Full OF disgust and horror at the very
sight of him, I replied that 1 would rather
crawl home on my hands and knees than GO
IN his carriage and so ended our acquaint-
ance, for never saw him again The Lon
don Standard